“It’s a great day for a parade,” said longtime parade organizer Ray Feyre before stepping out on Northampton Street to kick off the parade.

The parade attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators, but also about 15,000 marchers, who make their way down Northampton Street onto Beech Street, then Appleton Street onto High Street and finally ending on Hampden Street.

The Sons of Erin in Westfield create a parade float every year. It was one of the 40 floats on display Sunday.

“This float has 92 flowers, three dragonflies, a butterfly and a bumble bee,” said Jay McGuill, one of the creators of the float.

“ We started working on it on New Year’s Day with about 18 to 20 volunteers,” said Paul Sawyer, who works on the floats every year.

The colorful, floral float was a showstopper, but it was matched by West Springfield’s giant castle and bright-pink dragon spewing smoke from its nostrils. The West Springfield Parade Committee created the float using grass, stones and construction materials.

“We never use float materials. We try to make it look as real as possible,” said Bill Joseph, one of the creators of the float. The idea for the dragon came from fellow volunteer Chris Thompson.

The Chicopee Falls Moose Family Center created an elaborate float featuring a train complete with spinning wheels, a bell and smoke. “It took us about two months to create it,” said Paul Aube, of Chicopee. The float carried Boy Scout Pack 1849.

“This is really about the kids, so they are the ones on the float,” Aube said.

Jim Millett and Sue Ballard, of West Springfield, pick a spot right near the Kmart Plaza the night before the parade, so they can get the best view of the floats and the bands.

“We come every year and we are always at this spot,” she said.

The couple started bringing their children years ago, and now they bring their grandchildren to the parade, Millett said.

Sisters Anita Ruby, of Chicopee, Diane Frappier, of Ware, and Sandy Procone, of Chicopee, come every year. They got their seats a day ahead of the parade near the grandstand, where various television stations film the parade. This year is extra special because it falls on Procone’s birthday.

“Yes, it’s my birthday, so I’m really celebrating and having a good time,” she said.

Frappier enjoyed the parade but wished for better weather. “I'm freezing because I just came back from California,” she said.

Sue McMullen, of Granby, and her shih tzu, Sophie, viewed the parade from Beech Street. Sophie sported bright green hair for the event. “Today everybody’s Irish,” said McMullen, who grew up in Holyoke.

After viewing the parade route early Sunday morning, Feyre said the turnout was spectacular. “This is definitely a family event, and for many people it's a homecoming,” he said. “A lot of people come home for the road race and the parade, and it’s just a wonderful time of year.”